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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23194954">and sweetest in the gale</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/meteorain/pseuds/sakurain'>sakurain (meteorain)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Code Geass</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:41:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,581</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23194954</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/meteorain/pseuds/sakurain</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Suzaku receives a thick, bubble-wrapped packet crammed into their tiny mailbox and Lelouch sees it for what it is: a harbinger of chaos.</p><p>Or: Lelouch and Suzaku get a farm. They're bad at it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kururugi Suzaku/Lelouch Lamperouge | Lelouch vi Britannia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>and sweetest in the gale</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I played Stardew Valley for a few months and I ended up really wanting Lelouch and Suzaku on a farm. Also this was barely edited I’m sorry! (I'll fix it later, promise.)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They say hindsight is twenty-twenty but Lelouch never did pride himself on trying to excuse his failures—nor did he expect any of himself to begin with.  Suzaku can whine <em>boring</em> all he likes but no harm ever came from planning; no venture ever ended in catastrophe after extensive risk analysis. This thing with Suzaku—and everything it entails, every terrifying, new, wonderful moment—is the one exception Lelouch has allowed in his life.</p><p> </p><p>Suzaku receives a thick, bubble-wrapped packet crammed into their tiny mailbox and Lelouch sees it for what it is: a harbinger of chaos.  It turns out to be paperwork informing Suzaku that a recently passed great-grandfather bequeathed to him a substantial amount of farmland and a two-story cabin in the middle of nowhere.</p><p> </p><p>The timing of it is a bit too perfect: Lelouch was recently let go from a stint at the local newspaper and Suzaku was clearly beginning to reach his threshold for urban life.  Even Lelouch had to admit that the apartment was starting to feel cramped, the neighbors too loud; they were already at the stage of waiting and looking for an opportunity for change.</p><p> </p><p>They spend the next few days discussing it and while Lelouch has many, many concerns, Suzaku’s eyes are so hopeful—so that’s really all there is to it. The whole affair is sorted out rather quickly; the executors seem suspiciously eager to close out business and no one else is fighting for it. The lease to their tiny studio is up in a month, anyway, so they pack up their belongings and leave the city behind.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Most of the locals assume that they’re spoiled city boys who will bail after the first week. What they don’t account for is that despite Lelouch’s aversion to any type of physical labor, his determination to prove someone wrong is unmatched. It's a steep learning curve but Lelouch pours every effort into ensuring that their farm is not only well-maintained but profitable. It isn't easy: they still lack the means to purchase a good deal of equipment, so much of the work has to be done by hand.</p><p> </p><p>“You're kind of hot when you're vindictive,” Suzaku confesses on a sweltering July morning. Suzaku watches, rather entranced, as Lelouch hyperventilates while they till the field.</p><p> </p><p>Lelouch pauses to give him a long, silent, and very pointed <em>look</em>.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes dear,” Suzaku says quickly, resuming work in his own area.</p><p> </p><p>In the end, it’s all about ensuring that they make decent sales to offset the investment their lives and Lelouch's sanity; it would be nice, after all, to do a little more than break even. Even better to show up all the naysayers and sell out faster than all of them at the weekly farmer's market. Naturally, the forces that be never make it quite so easy for them.</p><p>
  
</p><p>The weather forecast one weekend is disastrously wrong: the productive warmth of summer transforms overnight into depressingly heavy rain showers.  They’re woken by a boom of thunder that they can feel in their chests, the streak of lightning that flashes through the windowpanes. Lelouch is normally a light sleeper, but to be woken violently enough to startle Suzaku awake means the storm is a real menace.</p><p> </p><p>Lelouch sits up, filled with the immediate desire to burrow back under the blankets. He squints at the fuzzy red digits of the clock on their bedside table. He blinks away sleep enough to see that it is nearly four in the morning. It’s not that much earlier than when their day usually starts, but getting jolted awake makes Lelouch feel as if he hasn’t slept at all.</p><p> </p><p>“Is it too early,” Suzaku murmurs from below. His eyes are still shut, his warm arm still wrapped around Lelouch’s waist. Lelouch can feel Suzaku’s fingertips thrumming against the curve of skin just above his hip. They press firm and questioning, and Lelouch lets himself focus on that, just for a moment. The wind outside sounds awful and the gusts sound like they could scrape the walls away.</p><p> </p><p>“Too early,” Lelouch confirms, dragging a hand down his face. He peers towards the bedroom window, only to grimace at the fat droplets of rain that smack against the glass. “We may as well get up. The animals are probably having a fit right now.”</p><p> </p><p>“The thunder probably freaked the chickens out,” Suzaku adds as he pulls the covers away. He stretches with a deep groan, and Lelouch sneaks an appreciative glance before Suzaku meets his eyes. Suzaku reaches out, digs his fingers into Lelouch’s hair to massage away a potential headache. “I’ll get some breakfast going.”</p><p> </p><p>“Please,” Lelouch says as he regretfully pulls free and he braces himself for the work to come.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>It’s horrid outside. Their boots and raincoats don’t help much when it’s this blustery, the rain sharp and cold on their faces.  Suzaku is already on his way to check on their tiny chicken coop, and while he does have a better handle on them, Lelouch doesn’t wholly attribute it to innate talent.  The chickens are bizarrely organized. One day, Lelouch will track down the strange, bespectacled man that sold their sole rooster to Suzaku. It was simply far too intelligent than any bird ought to be.</p><p> </p><p>More importantly, this means that Lelouch is left to handle the cows. It’s a task often left to him because Suzaku is under the impression that it is for his benefit.  Lelouch thinks that it is the very definition of injustice. Lelouch is not exactly fond of their cows. This is not to say that they aren’t <em>good</em> cows; when kept happy—and they always appear to be happy because Suzaku treats them like gold—they reliably provide fresh, good milk.</p><p> </p><p>(“And,” Suzaku always preens, nudging Lelouch good-naturedly, “Good milk makes for good customers, right, Lelouch?”)</p><p> </p><p>But Lelouch harbors the (admittedly illogical) suspicion that their livestock actively conspire to make his life difficult. Good cows, Lelouch reasoned, should also behave well and get into the barns when it was in their best interest to be indoors.</p><p> </p><p>An hour later, a very unsuccessful Lelouch is <em>tired </em>and contemplating how much more lucrative selling them off would be.</p><p> </p><p>“Suzaku,” Lelouch pants, his hair plastered against his face; whether this is due to the rain or his own sweat, Lelouch isn’t sure. What Lelouch <em>is</em> sure of, is that he’s going to pass out, right here, right now.  “This is impossible<em>.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Suzaku, long done with tending to the rest of the farm, had come over to check on Lelouch’s progress—or lack thereof. He watches as Lelouch gives another shove to try to urge the animal forward. The herculean effort nudges the cow about a centimeter closer to the open barn doors.</p><p> </p><p>“You know this is because you never exercise,” Suzaku lectures, and he has the audacity to sound teasing about it. Lelouch huffs and does not dignify him with a response. The rain has lessened to a drizzle but the slick of the mud hasn’t improved in any way, making things so much harder than they need to be.</p><p> </p><p>Lelouch’s next attempt results in him losing his footing in a spectacular fashion. He falls right onto his back with a very unappealing squelch. And yes, Lelouch notes with no little fury, that is the sound of Suzaku’s barely smothered laugh above him.</p><p> </p><p>There’s the sound of boots digging into the ground beside him before Suzaku squats down. Suzaku leans over him, effectively sheltering Lelouch’s face from the rain. Lelouch opens his eyes and meets Suzaku’s own; there is no reason Suzaku’s smile should be so wide, so bright.</p><p> </p><p>“I think you made some great progress,” Suzaku offers, along with his hands to tug him up to his feet. Lelouch begrudgingly accepts the latter. “A lot better than the last time.”</p><p> </p><p>“I think we should sell our cows,” Lelouch returns icily as he tugs off his filthy work gloves. The nearest one <em>moos</em> sadly, as if understanding the impending betrayal. “Happy cows should make for good beef, isn’t that the logic?”</p><p> </p><p>“Lelouch!” Suzaku exclaims, and his eyes are dark and shimmering with sorrow.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m only joking,” Lelouch says, rubbing Suzaku’s arm in an effort to reassure. <em>Mostly.</em></p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>By the time they get all the animals sorted, the worst of the storm has moved on.  They allow themselves a moment to rest, settling down to sit beside each other on their porch. There’s still plenty of work to be done cleaning up the debris that’s left in its wake. The grey storm clouds are drifting away, and Suzaku is looking forward to ending the day tired but satisfied.</p><p> </p><p>Suzaku turns away from the wreckage of the farm to take in the sight of Lelouch beside him.  His black hair is sticking out at every possible angle, there’s mud caked all over his clothes, and he looks infinitely exhausted. Suzaku feels fondness in his chest, so warm and full, because to see Lelouch like this (for <em>him</em>) is incredibly endearing.</p><p> </p><p>Suzaku leans over to kiss him, a quick peck on the lips, and draws back with a smile. Lelouch, with a flush that peeks through the dirt on his cheeks, stares at him in silence. Then he leans against Suzaku with a sigh, who brings an arm across Lelouch’s shoulders to squeeze him even closer.</p><p> </p><p>Lelouch says quietly, “You smell awful.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>We </em>smell awful,” Suzaku corrects him cheerfully, and leans down again, this time to kiss Lelouch’s frown away.</p>
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